In those hearing aids that are designed to be worn in the ear of the user, the excretions that occur in the ear tend to enter the orifice or outlet passage of the hearing aid that is utilized to introduce sound from the hearing aid into the user's ear canal. Build-up of these excretions, referred to as ear wax or cerumen, ultimately blocks all or part of the sound outlet passage. The result is a malfunction of the hearing aid.
In most conventional in-the-ear hearing aids and earphones of comparable size, a build-up of cerumen or ear wax occurs in the sound outlet passage, which at times can only be corrected by at least partial disassembly of the hearing aid. Considering that these hearing aids are quite tiny, inasmuch as each such hearing aid includes a microphone, an amplifier, and a complete sound reproduction receiver all in a package small enough to fit in an ear, disassembly for cleaning purposes and the subsequent necessity for reassembly can be a difficult task for the user. Indeed, for many users, the task may be essentially impossible, and is accomplished only by returning the hearing aid or like device to the manufacturer.